Don Thompson (ice hockey)

Don Thompson
Born	(1949-02-04) February 4, 1949 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb)
Position	Forward
Played for	Michigan State New Haven Nighthawks
NHL draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1969–1975

Donald Thompson is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward who was an All-American for Michigan State.

Career

Thompson briefly played for the Niagara Falls Flyers in 1968–69 but soon left the team so he could register as a freshman at Michigan State University. In doing so, he would be able to count the year as his freshman season and begin to play as a sophomore on the varsity squad in 1970. Shortly after Thompson joined Michigan State, the NCAA changed its long-standing police to limit student athletes to three seasons of varsity play. Beginning with the 1969–70 season, all incoming players had four years of eligibility. As a consequence, when Thompson was named as the WCHA Sophomore of the Year for 1970, he was the final player to receive that award.

Despite the lost season, Thompson became a standout player for the Spartans in the early-1970s. He led the team in scoring in each of his three seasons with the club and was named an All-American in 1971. As a senior, he finished sixth in the nation in scoring. When Thompson graduated he was the Sparta's all-time leading scorer, however, nearly all of his records were surpassed due to the deluge of scoring that occurred in the mid-1970s.

After college, Thompson played senior hockey briefly before becoming a beneficiary of the rapid expansion of professional hockey. Due to both the NHL's and WHA's demand for players, Thompson was able to sign a professional contract with the New Haven Nighthawks. He played parts of two seasons with the team, providing depth scoring and helping them reach the second round in 1974.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1966–67	Etobicoke Indians	MJBHL		—	—	—	—	—		—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA		5	2	3	5	0		—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Michigan State	WCHA		24	14	18	32	24		—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Michigan State	WCHA		31	19	38	57	35		—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Michigan State	WCHA		35	32	35	67	66		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Clinton Comets	EHL		5	2	3	5	2		—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		33	2	12	14	8		—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL		61	9	17	26	14		10	4	1	5	2
1974–75	Peoria Blades	CnHL		—	0	4	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
NCAA Totals				90	65	91	156	125		—	—	—	—	—
AHL Totals				94	11	29	40	22		10	4	1	5	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1970–71
AHCA West All-American	1970–71
All-WCHA Second Team	1971–72

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database